Editorial

From football to road construction – corruption has many faces. But the general rule is that the more opaque and unregulated decision-making processes are, the greater the risk of abusing power for self-enrichment.

New Great Games

Regional Interests in the Afghan Peace Process

The first official peace talks between the US and the Taliban, held in 2019, and the possible withdrawal of US troops announced by President Trump could end what has been almost 20 years of ­NATO presence in Afghanistan. For regional countries – Pakistan, India, Iran, Russia, and China – the developments offer an incentive to restructure the regional peace and security order.

Nigeria’s Hopeless Fight Against Corruption

Nigeria could be one of the richest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to its oil and gas industry, billions of dollars flood into the state’s coffers every year. Yet, the country faces immense challenges. Extreme poverty, a weakening economy, a dilapidated infrastructure, terrorism, and organised crime are all part of the everyday life of the population. Corruption, which has been depriving the country of the resources it needs to develop, is largely to blame for the current state of affairs.

The Right of Access to Information

An Important Step in the Fight Against Corruption in Morocco?

Morocco is no stranger to the global problem of corruption and the associated lack of public trust in the country’s administration. Public pressure, especially during the Arab Spring, resulted in a constitutional amendment in 2011 and people being given the right of access to information. Citizens now have the right to request non-public information held by the administration, while at the same time public bodies are required to proactively provide citizens with more information. Morocco’s Access to Information Act has been in force since March 2019, however, its adoption has been postponed until 2020.

Ukraine: Transparent but Corrupt?

Ukraine is the most transparent corrupt country in Europe. Corruption, oligarchy, and some mafia-like structures continue to be part of everyday life for people in Ukraine – in healthcare, education, business, customs, or the media landscape. Nevertheless, the reform efforts of the past few years have achieved increased transparency and social awareness of corruption. The German government and the European Union are providing substantial support to Ukraine; justice reform and combatting corruption are priorities.

When the Lights Go Out

The Impact of Corruption on the Electricity Supply in Sub-Saharan Africa

More than half of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa has no access to electricity. This is partly due to endemic corruption, the cost of which hampers the expansion of energy infrastructure. In the fight against corruption, it is vital to strengthen good governance and build effective, accountable state institutions as set out in Goal 16 of Agenda 2030.

China: A Developing Country as a Global Power?

China insists on its status as “the world’s largest developing country” and the special treatment in international regimes that this status entails. In the Chinese narrative, this position is justified by a relatively low per capita income and tremendous social and regional differences in the country. Occasionally, as a result of international pressure, China seems willing to renounce its privileges as a developing country. It is increasingly difficult for China to maintain the balance between its identity as a developing country and its role as an important donor in development cooperation. Against this backdrop, Germany and Europe should try to ensure that China’s growing global engagement leads to its closer integration into the structures of international cooperation.

CO2-Bepreisung: Internationale Impulse für die deutsche Debatte

Ungeachtet des schwierigen politischen Umfeldes für CO2-Bepreisung, vor allem in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern, ist das Instrument auf dem Vormarsch. Zahlreiche internationale Organisationen fördern diese Entwicklung, indem sie institutionelle und technische Hilfestellung leisten. Inwieweit das ausreicht, um mittelfristig überall auf der Welt wirkungsvolle CO2-Bepreisungsansätze herbeizuführen, bleibt jedoch offen.

Too Big to Fail

Toward a US-German Partnership on Turkey

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is often cast as a black-and-white villain rather than an actor in a complex story. Lost in the simplification are key questions about the relationship between Turkey and the West. To stabilize the Middle East, the West needs Turkey now more than ever. In the foreign policy realm, there are few areas in which President Donald Trump and Berlin are as closely aligned as in their assessment of the alliance with Turkey as “Too Big to Fail”. However, the United States and Germany have thus far moved in parallel rather than in combination in their diplomacy with Turkey, leaving an integrated strategy out of reach.

“There’s a danger that things operating at machine speed can spin out of control.”

An Interview with Dr. Frank Sauer, Senior Researcher in Political Science at the Bundeswehr (Federal Armed Forces) University Munich